Dunfermline (
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
: ''Dùn Phàrlain'',
Scots: ''Dunfaurlin'') was a
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
in the
Fife region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
from 1975 to 1996, lying to the south-west of the regional capital
Glenrothes
Glenrothes (; , ; sco, Glenrothes; gd, Gleann Rathais) is a town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south of Dundee. The town had a population of 39,277 in the 2011 census, making it ...
.
Local Government
As its name suggests, the district (one of three in the Fife region, along with
Kirkcaldy and
North-East Fife) was centred around the town of
Dunfermline, an important
royal burgh
A royal burgh () was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs.
Most royal burghs were either created by ...
in the
historic county of
Fife, although its boundaries extended some way beyond the town. In the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 leading to its creation, the district's desired composition was described as:
*''In the county of Fife—the burghs of Cowdenbeath, Culross, Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, Lochgelly; the districts of Dunfermline, Lochgelly (except the electoral divisions of Auchterderran, Denend, Kinglassie, New Carden); that part of the electoral division of Auchtertool within the Gray Park polling district.''
Outwith the main town, the district encompassed port towns on the
Firth of Forth, other coastal villages and numerous inland settlements west of Dunfermline, plus further territory east of the
M90 motorway
The M90 is a motorway in Scotland. It runs from Junction 1A of the M9 motorway, south of the Queensferry Crossing, to Perth. It is the northernmost motorway in the United Kingdom. The northern point goes to the western suburbs of Perth at ...
including
Kelty
Kelty (Scottish Gaelic: Cailtidh) is a former coal mining village located in Fife, Scotland. Lying in the heart of the old mining heartlands of Fife, it is situated on the Fife/Kinross-shire boundary and has a population of around 6,000 r ...
, the
Benarty villages and the towns of
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 189 ...
and
Lochgelly
Lochgelly ( ; gd, Loch Gheallaidh, IPA: �ɫ̪ɔxˈʝaɫ̪ai is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is located between Loch Ore, Lochs Ore and Gelly to the north-west and south-east respectively. It is separated from Cowdenbeath by the village of ...
. Its northern borders were with
Clackmannan district in the
Central region and
Perth and Kinross district in the
Tayside region.
The
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland.
It abolished the two-tie ...
abolished all of the districts and regions. Fife was retained as a single
unitary council area, headquartered in
Glenrothes
Glenrothes (; , ; sco, Glenrothes; gd, Gleann Rathais) is a town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south of Dundee. The town had a population of 39,277 in the 2011 census, making it ...
as the regional council had also been. Similar boundaries as those of Dunfermline district have since been re-used for some purposes such as local economic planning, tourism,
Dunfermline and West Fife
Welcome to Fife and in the post-2005 Dunfermline and West Fife (UK Parliament constituency), although rarely including the settlements east of the M90.
See also
* 1992 Dunfermline District Council election
* Subdivisions of Scotland
References
{{Fife elections
Districts of Scotland
Dunfermline
Politics of Fife
1975 establishments in Scotland
1996 disestablishments in Scotland
Cowdenbeath
Kelty